Product News Archives - Page 148 of 260 - Tyrepress

Tyre industry professionals need to know what the latest product developments are. Look no further than the Tyrepress.com product news tag,

Posts

Cooper Tire Factories Certified by ISO

A number of US based facilities operated by Cooper Tire & Rubber have been granted ISO certification. All four of the company’s factories there have earned ISO 9001:2000 quality management system certification, and in addition the plants in Albany (Georgia) and Tupelo (Mississippi) have fulfilled the requirements for IS0 14001 environmental management system certification.

“Attaining these formal certifications illustrates Cooper’s ongoing commitment to quality and our dedication to continuous improvement,” said chairman, president and CEO Roy V. Armes. “Cooper people have long worked at levels meeting or exceeding these standards, but it’s encouraging to have impartial third-party auditors recognise that fact.”

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

A-V ‘Negotiating’ With Suppliers

When the Sibur/Amtel-Vredestein (A-V) merger ground to a halt at the end of September, A-V’s lack of working capital meant it was forced to suspend production at its Kirov and Voronezh Russian manufacturing facilities. According to the most recent update, released just under a month later on 24 October, production has been suspended ever since. However, the latest reports are suggesting the company is exploring a number of creative solutions to A-V’s increasingly costly production stalemate. Meanwhile production has continued at normal levels at the un-affected Dutch part of the company, Vredestein Banden BV.

In an effort to kick start production at its Kirov and Voronezh production plants (which produce nearly 9 million tyres a year) Amtel-Vredestein is negotiating a raw material for finished product barter agreement. These plans are said to be in addition to the obvious way of reducing the high levels of debt under which the Russian part of the group continues to operate -selling the company’s assets, divisions or the group as a whole.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cost Less & Last Longer – Why Yorks Uses Conti Tyres

Continental reports that high mileage and reliable performance are two key factors behind the decision by Northamptonshire based Yorks Coaches, part of the Bowen Travel Group, to opt for its tyres. Particularly impressive, adds Conti, has been the performance of the Continental HDR drive axle tyre. One set is still in service after three years – during which time it has covered in excess of 200,000 kilometres.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

FPB Calls for New VAT Relief Scheme

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is putting forward an alternative to the Conservative Party’s proposal to give struggling small firms a six-month VAT ‘holiday’, which could backfire if debts spiral out of control. The FPB believes that more businesses in the UK should be eligible to join the Cash Accounting Scheme (CAS) and defer paying VAT until they are paid themselves.

The FPB is concerned that too few small firms are aware of the CAS, which allows them to pay VAT on actual payments, rather than unpaid invoices. This helps to protect their cash flow – particularly if payments owed to them are late. Currently only those with a turnover of less than £1.35 million can join the scheme. The FPB believes this level should to be raised to £2 million in order to allow more struggling businesses to be eligible.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama to Build JV Rubber Processing Factory in Thailand

On November 12 Yokohama Rubber announced its intention to cooperate with Teck Fu Joint Venture Co., Ltd. to build a joint-venture natural rubber processing factory in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani Province. Teck Fu is a subsidiary company of Teck Bee Hang Co., Ltd., a natural rubber processing company in Thailand. Yokohama Rubber’s decision to operate its own factory stems from its aim for an assured stable supply and quality of natural rubber, the company says.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

National Tyres a Finalist in £35 Million Entrepreneur Challenge

National Tyres has been named as a finalist in the North West England and North Wales region of the Bank of Scotland Corporate £35 Million Entrepreneur Challenge. National will now compete with four other entrepreneurs to secure a £5 million funding package, free of interest and charges for three years.

The next stage will see business partners Alan Revie, John Caldwell and John Taylor present their business case to a judging panel featuring two well-known and incredibly successful entrepreneurs. Matthew Riley, the national 2007 Entrepreneur Challenge winner from Daisy Communications, and senior representatives from Bank of Scotland Corporate and Deloitte. The panel will question National Tyres and the other finalists on their future business plans, as well as looking for someone with the entrepreneurial flair, spirit and vision that sets them apart from the rest and makes them an outstanding choice to receive the once in a lifetime funding package that could change the face of the business.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

François Michelin Inducted into TIA Hall of Fame

An honour that carries particular weight in North America is the ‘hall of fame’, a distinction for those who achieve lifelong excellence in their specific field, whether it be sports, music – or tyres. This year one of the historical contributor inductees into the Tire Industry Association (TIA) Hall of Fame was Mr. François Michelin, former managing partner of the Michelin Group. In November ceremonies held during the annual TIA “Breakfast with the President,” Mr. Michelin was recognised for his accomplishments and contributions to the tyre industry, including his support for the advancement of radial tyre technology.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Watchdog Bans Continental Advert

The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Continental tyre advertisement, concluding that it could not substantiate its claims that “nothing stops better than a Continental tyre.” Following a complaint by competitors Goodyear and Michelin, the ASA analysed the braking results of all 2007 tyre tests of summer tyres and found that Continental’s competitors had performed better in 28 instances.

As a result the ad – which in technical speak breached substantiation, truthfulness and other comparisons clauses – must not appear again in its current form. An internal document shows Goodyear made its case by submitting the results of all 2007 UK independent tyre tests (which were all won overall by Goodyear HydraGrip or Eagle F1 Asymmetric) to the ASA.

Tim Bailey, Continental Tyre Group Ltd’s advertising and sponsorship manager explained that the company commissioned TUV research that demonstrated the braking ability of its tyres: “We commissioned a special report by the TUV in Germany to test our tyres and those of our competitors in 2007 and this demonstrated that Continental tyres in the pattern and size tested are superior in braking performance in both wet and dry conditions. The claim that ‘nothing stops better than a Continental tyre’ is truthful based on this evidence.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Establishes Russian Sales Office

Toyo Tire & Rubber has announced the joint establishment, along with Mitsubishi Corporation, of a Russian tyre sales subsidiary. The new subsidiary, known as Toyo Tire Rus LLC, was formed on October 23. According to the Japanese manufacturer, Toyo Rus LLC was established primarily for expanding the brand presence of Toyo tyres and improving the brand’s position in this growing and increasingly motorised BRIC market.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Part 2 of Yokohama’s Mid-Range Plan Announced

Phase II of Yokohama Rubber’s “Grand Design 100” medium-range financial plan has been announced. The next stage of the plan, which began in the 2007 fiscal year, is scheduled to commence in April 2009, following the end of Phase I in March. The company says it will determine the details of Phase II, valid for the 2010 to 2012 financial years, and release its contents, including financial targets, in March 2009.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Sales Up, Income Down in Half Year Results

Toyo Tires has released its consolidated business results for the first half of this fiscal year (ending 31 March, 2009). The report shows that the company’s tyre segment had upped its net sales from 120 billion yen in April-September 2007 to 123 billion yen (£841 million; 1 GBP = 146 JPY) this half-year. However, the company’s operating income in the same period dropped to 1.13 billion yen (£7.77 million), 16.2 per cent of the same period in the previous year, which yielded 6.99 billion yen.

Meanwhile, in the second quarter (July-September 2008) net sales fell to 60.4 billion yen (£419 million) from 61.6 billion in Q2 ’07-’08, while the tyre segment produced a Q2 ’08-’09 operating loss of 126 million yen (£875,000).

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Retread America Opens Oliver Rubber Retread Plant

A new Oliver Rubber retreading facility has opened in the US town of Florence, Kentucky. Equipment and supplies from the wholly owned Michelin North America subsidiary will be used by Retread America, a supplier of retreads to the intermodal and commercial tyre industries, to produce Oliver brand retreads.

“Oliver Rubber is a proven industry supplier of quality retreads, and we are confident in the company’s ability to provide excellent retreading products to our customers,” said Rodney Goderwis, president of Retread America. “We selected Oliver Rubber because they offer one of the broadest product lines in the industry, which will enable us to offer premium retreads at value prices for all segments.”

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Earthmover TPMS Available Worldwide

Michelin has announced that the company’s MEMS (Michelin Earthmover Management System) product is now available all around the world.

The French manufacturer says that MEMS is the only electronic system for monitoring earthmover tyre temperature and pressure to be marketed worldwide. The global rollout follows an extensive series of field trials that began in 1996 and the system’s launch in North and South America in 2006.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Burgess: MotoGP Control Tyre Rule a “Big Mistake”

The deliberations surrounding MotoGP’s decision to switch to a Bridgestone control tyre in 2009 have continued to grow, with prominent voices speaking up for both sides of the argument. Valentino Rossi’s crew chief, Jerry Burgess, told the Italian magazine, Motosprint, that there was no need for the introduction of a new rule and that teams should be able to make up their own minds.

However Tony Carter, the MotoGP presenter on Eurosport, writes in his online article on 11 November, “As a race fan, all I want to see is rider against rider, machine against machine. I like the idea of a proper scrap where lesser factors like which type of a particular niche rubber compound by any of three or four manufacturers don’t come into it.” The issue is currently the subject of Tyrepress.com’s Question of the Month, provoking similar levels of debate among tyre industry readers.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Accuride Receives NYSE Suspension Notice

On November 10 Accuride Corporation received notice that prior to the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, November 12 its stock would be suspended from trading. The NYSE noted that Accuride’s suspension from trading is due to the fact that the company fell below the NYSE’s continued listing standard regarding average global market capitalisation over a consecutive 30 trading day period of not less than US$25 million, an amount the NYSE views as a minimum threshold for continued trading.

11th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors